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Several months ago, I wrote an article discussing the relationship between milk price and several economic factors to determine if there was a correlation between these economic indicators and the Class III milk price.
This article is a follow-up to my last piece as I drill down further into some agricultural factors and prices to see if there are any better correlations and indicators of the upcoming milk price.
Two dairymen who are test-driving web-based margin projection software both say the program is giving them increased confidence in their management decisions. One of the two is even taking steps to lock in his margin up to one quarter in advance.
There are 313 million people living in the U.S. Of that 313 million, only 2 percent are directly involved in agricultural production, and few more understand the importance of it for the sustainability of our country.
The following statements are from the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture public hearing on July 9, which discussed the benefits of biotechnology. Witnesses included professors and a dairy farmer, who is also a mother, who emphasized how society can benefit from modern applications of biotechnology in agriculture.
Bovine colostrum has come a long way in the past few decades.
It’s no longer just the “first milk” fed to calves to boost their immune systems. Now it’s used in a growing list of products for humans.
Born without an active immune system to defend against disease, a newborn calf relies on the consumption of colostrum to build immunity.
Disease-fighting immunoglobulins (commonly called IgG) in colostrum provide the immune protection newborn calves so desperately need to fight off environmental pathogens and bacteria.
As margins become tighter for dairy producers, prioritizing the investment in raising healthy calves can pay large dividends down the road.
Professional heifer growers and dairy producers need to pay close attention to rearing costs, especially liquid feed costs, while ensuring calves meet their nutritional needs and performance targets.
Nearly half of all dairy calves raised in the U.S. are fed a diet of whole milk in the pre-weaned stage. The source of this nutrition is primarily hospital waste milk, salable milk or a combination of the two.
While milk has been deemed “nature’s most perfect food,” and calves have been shown to perform very well on it, we are learning that there are ways we can optimize the consistency and nutritive value of milk fed to calves.
It happens. Good intentions with good directions fall apart with poor implementation or misunderstanding. Colostrum did not get fed. The calf hutch did not get cleaned.
Feed was late getting delivered. It just happens. The use of on-farm protocols is one way to help managers and employees get jobs done correctly, on time, the same way, every time.
Walking down a row of hutches or pens, they always stand out. First to greet you, full of curiosity, and of course, their brown coats. Jersey calves are gaining popularity across dairy and calf-raising operations in many parts of the country, including where we work in Texas.
Much like their Holstein counterparts, the first 60 days are critical to the future of their performance. However, there are important and unique breed characteristics raisers should keep in mind as they work with Jersey calves during these critical early life stages.
